Method and apparatus for launching activities

ABSTRACT

A handheld electronic device having a microprocessor housed within a body including a display area and a contact-sensitive area is disclosed. The contact-sensitive area detects contact engagement therewith and produces instruction data based thereupon. A microprocessor-run software program receives instruction data from the contact-sensitive area. The contact-sensitive area has a home zone area and a plurality of activity launch zone areas. The software program is programmed to process the instruction data and determine sweeping contact motion detected on the contact-sensitive area originating at the home zone area and terminating at one of the plurality of activity launch zone areas. The program responsively launches an operator-instructed activity corresponding to the activity launch zone area at which the sweeping contact motion terminated.

FIELD

This disclosure, in a broad sense, is directed toward a handheldcommunication device that has wireless communication capabilities andthe networks within which the wireless communication device operates.The present disclosure further relates to launching an activity inresponse to contact with a contact-sensitive area.

BACKGROUND

With the proliferation of wireless communication systems, compatiblehandheld communication devices are becoming more prevalent, as well asadvanced. Whereas in the past such handheld communication devices weretypically limited to either voice transmission (cell phones) or texttransmission (pagers and PDAs), today's consumer often demands amultifunctional device capable of performing both types oftransmissions, including even sending and receiving e-mail. Furthermore,these higher-performance devices can also be capable of sending andreceiving other types of data including that which allows the viewingand use of Internet websites. These higher level functionalitiesnecessarily require greater user interaction with the devices throughincluded user interfaces (UIs) which may have originally been designedto accommodate making and receiving telephone calls and sending messagesover a related Short Messaging Service (SMS). As might be expected,suppliers of such mobile communication devices and the related serviceproviders are anxious to meet these customer requirements, but thedemands of these more advanced functionalities have in manycircumstances rendered the traditional user interfaces unsatisfactory, asituation that has caused designers to have to improve the UIs throughwhich users input information and control these sophisticatedoperations.

Keyboards are used on many handheld devices, including telephones andmobile communication devices. The size of keyboards has been reducedover the years, as newer, smaller devices have become popular. Cellphones, for example, are now sized to fit in one's pocket or the palm ofthe hand. As the size of the devices has decreased, the more importantit has become to utilize the entire keyboard surface as efficiently aspossible.

Many keyboards on mobile devices have an input device for navigationthrough the graphical user interface. These interfaces include suchdevices as trackballs and rotating wheels which can be used to effectmovement of a cursor or pointer, or to scroll up, down and about adisplayed page. These navigation devices often occupy a relatively largeamount of space on the incorporating mobile device. Because thenavigation device is frequently used and often requires fine control, alower end size limitation will normally be observed by device designers.To accommodate such larger, more convenient navigation devices on thehousing of the mobile device, the amount of space that is available forthe keys of the keyboard is correspondingly reduced if the keyboard andnavigation device are proximately located to one another.

As users rely more heavily on their handheld electronic devices, usersdemand that the devices operate easily and intuitively. Many devicesavailable for consumer purchase fall short of achieving such a goal.Furthermore devices are often equipped with detailed menus and a widearray of programs which can be cumbersome for a user. Thus, it isdesirable to provide a device for which the user can easily launchapplications and input other commands to the handheld electronic deviceusing input devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Examplary methods and arrangements conducted and configured according tothe advantageous solutions presented herein are depicted in theaccompanying drawings wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a handheld wireless communication device configuredaccording to the present teachings cradled in the palm of a user's hand;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram representing a wireless handheld communicationdevice interacting in a communication network;

FIG. 3 a illustrates an examplary QWERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 3 b illustrates an examplary QWERTZ keyboard layout;

FIG. 3 c illustrates an examplary AZERTY keyboard layout;

FIG. 3 d illustrates an examplary Dvorak keyboard layout;

FIG. 4 illustrates a QWERTY keyboard layout paired with a traditionalten-key keyboard;

FIG. 5 illustrates ten digits comprising the numerals 0-9 arranged in atraditional, ITU Standard E.161 numeric telephone keypad layout,including the * and # keys flanking the 0 key;

FIG. 6 illustrates a traditional or standard phone key arrangement orlayout according to the ITU Standard E. 161 including both numerals andletters;

FIG. 7 illustrates a full keyboard handheld electronic device accordingto the present disclosure;

FIG. 8 illustrates a handheld electronic device with a contact-sensitivearea including arrows indicating possible directional motion to launchone of the applications on the display area above the contact-sensitivearea;

FIG. 9 illustrates a handheld electronic device of FIG. 8 with an emailapplication shown on the display screen and different operator commandsindicated on the contact-sensitive area;

FIG. 10 illustrates a handheld electronic device with an integrateddisplay screen and contact-sensitive area according to the presentdisclosure; and

FIG. 11 illustrates an examplary method of selectively launching anactivity on a handheld electronic device.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

An examplary handheld wireless communication device 300 is shown in FIG.1, and the device's cooperation in a wireless network 319 is exemplifiedin the block diagram of FIG. 2. These figures are examplary only, andthose persons skilled in the art will appreciate the additional elementsand modifications necessary to make the device 300 work in particularnetwork environments.

As shown in the block diagram of FIG. 2, the handheld device 300includes a microprocessor 338 that controls the operation of the device300. A communication subsystem 311 performs all communicationtransmission and reception with the wireless network 319. Themicroprocessor 338 further connects with an auxiliary input/output (I/O)subsystem 328, a serial port (preferably a Universal Serial Bus port)330, a display 322, a keyboard 332, a speaker 334, a microphone 336,random access memory (RAM) 326, and flash memory 324. Othercommunication subsystems 340 and other device subsystems 342 aregenerally indicated as being functionally connected with themicroprocessor 338 as well. An example of a communication subsystem 340is that of a short range communication system such as BLUETOOTH®communication module or a Wi-Fi communication module (a communicationmodule in compliance with IEEE 802.11b) and associated circuits andcomponents. Additionally, the microprocessor 338 is able to performoperating system functions and preferably enables execution of softwareapplications on the handheld wireless communication device 300.

The auxiliary I/O subsystem 328 can take the form of a variety ofdifferent navigation tools (multi-directional or single-directional)such as a trackball navigation tool 321 as illustrated in the examplaryembodiment shown in FIG. 1, or a thumbwheel, a navigation pad, ajoystick, or the like. These navigation tools are preferably located onthe front surface of the handheld device 300 but may be located on anyexterior surface of the handheld device 300. Other auxiliary I/Osubsystems can include external display devices and externally connectedkeyboards (not shown). While the above examples have been provided inrelation to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 328, other subsystems capable ofproviding input or receiving output from the handheld device 300 areconsidered within the scope of this disclosure. Additionally, other keysmay be placed along the side of the handheld device 300 to function asescape keys, volume control keys, scrolling keys, power switches, oruser programmable keys, and may likewise be programmed accordingly.

As may be appreciated from FIG. 1, the handheld wireless communicationdevice 300 comprises a lighted display 322 located above a keyboard 332constituting a user input and suitable for accommodating textual inputto the handheld wireless communication device 300. The front face 370 ofthe device has a navigation row 70 and a key field 650 that includesalphanumeric keys 630, alphabetic keys 632, numeric keys 42, and otherfunction keys as shown in FIG. 1. As shown, the handheld device 300 isof unibody construction, also known as a “candy-bar” design.

Keys, typically of a push-button or push-pad nature, perform well asdata entry devices but present problems to the user when they must alsobe used to effect navigational control over a screen-cursor. In order tosolve this problem the present handheld wireless communication device300 preferably includes an auxiliary input that acts as a cursornavigation tool and which is also exteriorly located upon the front face370 of the device 300. Its front face location is particularlyadvantageous because it makes the tool easily thumb-actuable like thekeys of the keyboard. A particularly usable embodiment provides thenavigation tool in the form of a trackball 321 which is easily utilizedto instruct two-dimensional screen cursor movement in substantially anydirection, as well as act as an actuator when the trackball 321 isdepressed like a button. The placement of the navigation tool 327 ispreferably above the keyboard 332 and below the display screen 322;here, it avoids interference during keyboarding and does not block theuser's view of the display screen 322 during use. (See FIG. 1).

As illustrated in FIG. 1, the present disclosure is directed to ahandheld wireless communication device 300 configured to send andreceive text messages. The handheld device 300 includes a handcradleable body 371 configured to be held in one hand by an operator ofthe device during text entry. A display 322 is included that is locatedon a front face 370 of the body 371 and upon which information isdisplayed to the operator during text entry. A key field 650 is alsolocated on the front face 370 of the body 371 and comprises a pluralityof keys including a plurality of alphanumeric keys, symbol keys, andfunction keys. A navigation row 70 including menu keys 652 and anavigation tool 327 is also located on the front face 370 of the body371. The alphanumeric input keys comprise a plurality of alphabeticand/or numeric keys 632 having letters and/or numbers associatedtherewith. The order of the letters of the alphabetic keys 632 on thepresently disclosed handheld device 300 can be described as being of atraditional, but non-ITU Standard E.161 layout. This terminology hasbeen utilized to delineate the fact that such a telephone keypad asdepicted in FIG. 6 may not allow for efficient text entry on thehandheld device 300.

The handheld wireless communication device 300 is also configured tosend and receive voice communications such as mobile telephone calls. Tofacilitate telephone calls, two call keys 605, 609 (“outer keys”) areprovided in the upper, navigation row 70 (so-called because it includesthe navigation tool 327) at the outer ends of the navigation row 70. Oneof the two call keys is a call initiation key 605, and the other is acall termination key 609. The navigation row 70 also includes anotherpair of keys (“flanking keys”) that are located immediately adjacent tothe navigation tool 327, with one flanking key on either side of thenavigation tool 327. It is noted that the outer keys are referred to assuch not because they are necessarily the outermost keys in thenavigation row—there may be additional keys located even furtheroutwardly of the outer keys if desired—but rather because they arelocated outwardly with respect to the flanking keys. The flanking keysmay, for instance, constitute the menu keys 652, which include a menucall-up key 606 and an escape or back key 608. The menu call-up key 606is used to bring up a menu on the display screen 322 and the escape key608 is used to return to the previous screen or previous menu selection.The functions of the call keys and the menu keys may, of course, beprovided by buttons that are located elsewhere on the handheld device300, with different functions assigned to the outer keys and theflanking keys.

Furthermore, the handheld device 300 is equipped with components toenable operation of various programs, as shown in FIG. 2. In anexamplary embodiment, the flash memory 324 is enabled to provide astorage location for the operating system 357, device programs 358, anddata. The operating system 357 is generally configured to manage otherapplication programs 358 that are also stored in memory 324 andexecutable on the processor 338. The operating system 357 honorsrequests for services made by application programs 358 throughpredefined application program 358 interfaces. More specifically, theoperating system 357 typically determines the order in which multipleapplications 358 are executed on the processor 338 and the executiontime allotted for each application 358, manages the sharing of memory324 among multiple applications 358, handles input and output to andfrom other device subsystems 342, and so on. In addition, users cantypically interact directly with the operating system 357 through a userinterface usually including the keyboard 332 and display screen 322.While in an examplary embodiment the operating system 357 is stored inflash memory 324, the operating system 357 in other embodiments isstored in read-only memory (ROM) or similar storage element (not shown).As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the operating system 357,device application 358 or parts thereof may be loaded in RAM 326 orother volatile memory.

In one examplary embodiment, the flash memory 324 containsprograms/applications 358 for execution on the handheld device 300including an address book 352, a personal information manager (PIM) 354,and the device state 350. Furthermore, programs 358 and otherinformation 356 including data can be segregated upon storage in theflash memory 324 of the handheld device 300.

When the handheld device 300 is enabled for two-way communication withinthe wireless communication network 319, it can send and receive signalsfrom a mobile communication service. Examples of communication systemsenabled for two-way communication include, but are not limited to, theGeneral Packet Radio Service (GPRS) network, the Universal MobileTelecommunication Service (UTMS) network, the Enhanced Data for GlobalEvolution (EDGE) network, and the Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA)network and those networks, generally described as packet-switched,narrowband, data-only technologies which are mainly used for short burstwireless data transfer. For the systems listed above, the handheldwireless communication device 300 must be properly enabled to transmitand receive signals from the communication network 319. Other systemsmay not require such identifying information. GPRS, UMTS, and EDGErequire the use of a Subscriber Identity Module (SIM) in order to allowcommunication with the communication network 319. Likewise, most CDMAsystems require the use of a Removable Identity Module (RUIM) in orderto communicate with the CDMA network. The RUIM and SIM card can be usedin multiple different communication devices 300. The handheldcommunication device 300 may be able to operate some features without aSIM/RUIM card, but it will not be able to communicate with the network319. A SIM/RUIM interface 344 located within the device 300 allows forremoval or insertion of a SIM/RUIM card (not shown). The SIM/RUIM cardfeatures memory and holds key configurations 351, and other information353 such as identification and subscriber related information. With aproperly enabled communication device 300, two-way communication betweenthe handheld wireless communication device 300 and communication network319 is possible.

If the handheld wireless communication device 300 is enabled asdescribed above or the communication network 319 does not require suchenablement, the two-way communication enabled handheld device 300 isable to both transmit and receive information from the communicationnetwork 319. The transfer of communication can be from the handhelddevice 300 or to the device 300. In order to communicate with thecommunication network 319, the handheld device 300 in the presentlydescribed examplary embodiment is equipped with an integral or internalantenna 318 for transmitting signals to the communication network 319.Likewise the handheld wireless communication device 300 in the presentlydescribed examplary embodiment is equipped with another antenna 316 forreceiving communication from the communication network 319. Theseantennae (316, 318) in another examplary embodiment are combined into asingle antenna (not shown). As one skilled in the art would appreciate,the antenna or antennae (316, 318) in another embodiment are externallymounted on the handheld device 300.

When equipped for two-way communication, the handheld wirelesscommunication device 300 features a communication subsystem 311. As iswell known in the art, this communication subsystem 311 is modified sothat it can support the operational needs of the handheld device 300.The subsystem 311 includes a transmitter 314 and receiver 312 includingthe associated antenna or antennae (316, 318) as described above, localoscillators (LOs) 313, and a processing module 320 which in thepresently described examplary embodiment is a digital signal processor(DSP) 320.

It is contemplated that communication by the handheld device 300 withthe wireless network 319 can be any type of communication that both thewireless network 319 and handheld device 300 are enabled to transmit,receive and process. In general, these can be classified as voice anddata. Voice communication is communication in which signals for audiblesounds are transmitted by the handheld device 300 through thecommunication network 319. Data is all other types of communication thatthe handheld device 300 is capable of performing within the constraintsof the wireless network 319.

Example device applications that can depend on such data include email,contacts and calendars. For each such application synchronization withhome-based versions on the applications can be critical for either orboth of their long term and short term utility. As an example, emailsare often time sensitive, so substantially real time synchronization ishighly desirable. Contacts, on the other hand, can be usually updatedless frequently without inconvenience. Therefore, the utility of thehandheld device 300 is significantly enhanced (if not enabled) whenconnectable within a communication system, and particularly whenconnectable on a wireless basis in a network 319 in which voice, textmessaging, and other data transfer are accommodated.

As intimated hereinabove, one of the more important aspects of thehandheld wireless communication device 300 to which this disclosure isdirected is its size. While some users will grasp the handheld device300 in both hands, it is intended that a predominance of users willcradle the handheld device 300 in one hand in such a manner that inputand control over the handheld device 300 can be effected using the thumbof the same hand in which the handheld device 300 is held. However, itis appreciated that additional control can be effected by using bothhands. As a handheld device 300 that is easy to grasp and desirablypocketable, the size of the handheld device 300 must be keptcommensurately small. Of the device's dimensions, limiting its width isimportant for the purpose of assuring cradleability in a user's hand.Moreover, it is preferred that the width of the handheld device 300 bemaintained at less than eight centimeters (approximately three inches).Keeping the handheld device 300 within these dimensional limits providesa hand cradleable unit that users prefer for its usability andportability. Limitations with respect to the height (length) of thehandheld device 300 are less stringent when consideringhand-cradleability. Therefore, in order to gain greater size, thehandheld device 300 can be advantageously elongated so that its heightis greater than its width, but still remains easily supported andoperated in one hand.

A potential drawback is presented by the small size of the handhelddevice 300 in that there is limited exterior surface area for theinclusion of user input and device output features. This is especiallytrue for the “prime real estate” on the front face 370 of the handhelddevice 300, where it is most advantageous to include a display screen322 that outputs information to the user. The display screen 322 ispreferably located above a keyboard 332 that is utilized for data entryinto the handheld device 300 by the user. If the screen 322 is providedbelow the keyboard 332, a problem occurs in that viewing the screen 322is inhibited when the user is inputting data using the keyboard 332.Therefore it is preferred that the display screen 322 be above the inputarea, thereby solving the problem by assuring that the hands and fingersdo not block the view of the screen 322 during data entry periods.

To facilitate textual data entry into the handheld device 300, analphabetic keyboard 332 is provided. In the examplary illustratedembodiment, a full alphabetic keyboard 332 is utilized in which there isone key per letter (with some of the letter keys also having numbers,symbols, or functions associated with them). In this regard, theassociated letters can be advantageously organized in QWERTY, QWERTZ,AZERTY, or Dvorak layouts, among others, thereby capitalizing on certainusers' familiarity with these various letter orders. In order to staywithin the bounds of the limited front surface area, however, each ofthe keys must be commensurately small when, for example, twenty-six keysmust be provided in the instance of the English language.

As shown in FIG. 1, the handheld wireless communication device 300 iscradleable in the palm of a user's hand. The handheld device 300 isprovided with a keyboard 332 to enter text data and place telephonecalls and a display screen 322 for communicating information to theuser. A connect/send key 605 is preferably provided to aid in theplacement of a phone call. Additionally, a disconnect/end key 609 isprovided. The send key 605 and end key 609 preferably are arranged inthe navigation row 70 including the navigation tool 327. Additionally,the navigation row 70 preferably has a menu call-up key 606 and a backkey or escape key 608.

The keyboard 332 includes a plurality of keys that can be of a physicalnature such as actuable buttons, or they can be of a software nature,typically constituted by virtual representations of physical keys on adisplay screen 322 (referred to herein as “virtual keys”). It is alsocontemplated that the user input can be provided as a combination of thetwo types of keys. Each key of the plurality of keys has at least oneactuable action which can be the input of a character, a command or afunction. In this context, “characters” are contemplated to exemplarilyinclude alphabetic letters, language symbols, numbers, punctuation,insignias, icons, pictures, and even a blank space. Input commands andfunctions can include such things as delete, backspace, moving a cursorup, down, left or right, initiating an arithmetic function or command,initiating a command or function specific to an application program orfeature in use, initiating a command or function programmed by the userand other such commands and functions that are well known to thosepersons skilled in the art. Specific keys or other types of inputdevices can be used to navigate through the various applications andfeatures thereof. Further, depending on the application 358 or featurein use, specific keys can be enabled or disabled.

In the case of physical keys, all or a portion of the plurality of keyshave one or more indicia representing character(s), command(s), and/orfunctions(s) displayed at their top surface and/or on the surface of thearea adjacent the respective key. In the instance where the indicia of akey's function is provided adjacent the key, the indicia can be printedon the device cover beside the key, or in the instance of keys locatedadjacent the display screen 322. Additionally, current indicia for thekey may be temporarily shown nearby the key on the display screen 322.

In the case of virtual keys, the indicia for the respective keys areshown on the display screen 322, which in one embodiment is enabled bytouching the display screen 322, for example, with a stylus to generatethe character or activate the indicated command or function. Someexamples of display screens 322 capable of detecting a touch includeresistive, capacitive, projected capacitive, infrared and surfaceacoustic wave (SAW) touchscreens.

Physical and virtual keys can be combined in many different ways asappreciated by those skilled in the art. In one embodiment, physical andvirtual keys are combined such that the plurality of enabled keys for aparticular application or feature of the handheld wireless communicationdevice 300 is shown on the display screen 322 in the same configurationas the physical keys. Using this configuration, the user can select theappropriate physical key corresponding to what is shown on the displayscreen 322. Thus, the desired character, command or function is obtainedby depressing the physical key corresponding to the character, commandor function displayed at a corresponding position on the display screen322, rather than touching the display screen 322.

The various characters, commands, and functions associated with keyboardtyping in general are traditionally arranged using various conventions.The most common of these in the United States, for instance, is theQWERTY keyboard layout. Others include the QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Dvorakkeyboard configurations. The QWERTY keyboard layout is the standardEnglish-language alphabetic key arrangement 44 a shown in FIG. 3 a. TheQWERTZ keyboard layout is normally used in German-speaking regions; thisalphabetic key arrangement 44b is shown in FIG. 3 b. The AZERTY keyboardlayout 44 c is normally used in French-speaking regions and is shown inFIG. 3 c. The Dvorak keyboard layout was designed to allow typists totype faster; this alphabetic key arrangement 44 d is shown in FIG. 3 d.In other examplary embodiments, keyboards having multi-language keyarrangements can be implemented.

Alphabetic key arrangements are often presented along with numeric keyarrangements. Typically, the numbers 1-9 and 0 are positioned in the rowabove the alphabetic keys 44 a-d, as shown in FIG. 3 a-d. Alternatively,the numbers share keys with the alphabetic characters, such as the toprow of the QWERTY keyboard. Yet another examplary numeric keyarrangement is shown in FIG. 4, where a “ten-key” style numeric keypad46 is provided on a separate set of keys that is spaced from thealphabetic/numeric key arrangement 44. Still further, ten-key numericarrangements may be common with or shared with a subset of thealphabetic keys, as best shown in FIGS. 9 and 10. The ten-key stylednumeric keypad 46 includes the numbers “7”, “8”, “9” arranged in a toprow, “4”, “5”, “6” arranged in a second row, “1”, “2”, “3” arranged in athird row, and “0” in a bottom row. Further, a numeric phone keyarrangement 42 is exemplarily illustrated in FIG. 5.

As shown in FIG. 5, the numeric phone key arrangement 42 may alsoutilize a surface treatment on the surface of the center “5” key. Thissurface treatment is configured such that the top surface of the key isdistinctive from the surface of other keys. Preferably the surfacetreatment is in the form of a raised bump or recessed dimple 43.Alternatively, raised bumps may be positioned on the housing around the“5” key and do not necessarily have to be positioned directly on thekey.

It is desirable for handheld devices 300 to include a combinedtext-entry keyboard and a telephony keyboard. Examples of such handhelddevices 300 include mobile stations, cellular telephones, wirelesspersonal digital assistants (PDAs), two-way paging devices, and others.Various keyboards are used with such devices and can be termed a fullkeyboard, a reduced-format keyboard, or phone key pad. In embodiments ofa handheld device 300 having a full keyboard, the alphabetic charactersare singly associated with the plurality of physical keys. Thus, in anEnglish-language keyboard of this configuration, there are at least 26keys in the plurality, with one letter per alphabetic key.

FIGS. 5 and 6 both feature numeric keys arranged according to the ITUStandard E.161 form. In addition, FIG. 6 also incorporates alphabeticcharacters according to the ITU Standard E.161 layout as well.

Reference is now made to FIG. 7, which discloses an examplary embodimenthaving a full alphabetic keyboard arrangement. In particular, as shownin FIG. 7, only one letter of the alphabet is associated with any givenalphabetic key within the keys of the keyfield. This is in contrast toreduced-format arrangements, in which multiple letters of the alphabetmay be associated with at least some of the alphabetic keys of akeyboard. Additionally, as alluded to above and shown in the referencedfigures, some of the alphabetic keys also have numbers, symbols, orfunctions associated with them. In the specifically illustratedembodiment, the alphabetic keys (including those also having numbers,symbols, or functions associated with them) are arranged in a QWERTYarrangement, although any of the other full-keyboard arrangements(QWERTZ, AZERTY, or Dvorak) may also be implemented within the scope ofthis disclosure.

As described above, the International Telecommunications Union (“ITU”)has established phone standards for the arrangement of alphanumerickeys. The standard phone numeric key arrangement shown in FIGS. 5 (noalphabetic letters) and 6 (with alphabetic letters) corresponds to ITUStandard E.161, entitled “Arrangement of Digits, Letters, and Symbols onTelephones and Other Devices That Can Be Used for Gaining Access to aTelephone Network.” This standard is also known as ANSI TI.703-1995/1999and ISO/IEC 9995-8:1994. As shown in FIG. 1, the numeric key arrangementcan be overlaid on a QWERTY arrangement. The numeric arrangement asshown can be aptly described as a top-to-bottom ascending orderthree-by-three-over-zero pattern.

While several keyboard layouts have been described above, the layoutscan be described as having keys disposed on the keyboard in a QWERTY,reduced QWERTY, QWERTZ, Dvorak, or AZERTY key layout. These familiarkeyboard layouts allow users to type more intuitively and quickly than,for example, on the standard alphabetic layout on a telephone pad. Asmentioned above, the key arrangements can be reduced compared to astandard layout through the use of more than one letter or character perkey. By utilizing fewer keys, the keys can be made larger and thereforemore convenient to the user.

In at least one embodiment, a handheld wireless communication device 300that is configured to send and receive email text messages comprises ahand cradleable body 371 configured to be held in a text entryorientation by an operator or user. (For example see FIGS. 1 and 7). Thebody 371 of the handheld wireless communication device 300 has a frontface 370 at which a display screen 322 is located and upon whichinformation is displayed to the operator of the handheld device 300 inthe text entry orientation. The handheld device 300 further comprises amicroprocessor configured to run software programs on the handhelddevice 300 and to receive operator commands from user inputs, such as akeyboard 332 and trackball navigation tool 321, located on the handhelddevice 300.

As described above, it is common to provide handheld electronic deviceswith navigation tools such as a trackball, thumbwheel, navigational pad,or the like to allow a user to control navigation on the screen of thehandheld electronic device. These navigation tools require additionalspace within the hand cradleable body 371 as well as occupy space on oneof the surfaces of the handheld device such as the front surface. Thesenavigation tools typically provide for discrete movement. This enablesthe user to exert a desired degree of precision in selecting ornavigating amongst the displayed items. The following embodimentspresent the use of contact-sensitive surfaces which can be used in placeof the above described navigation tools or can be used in conjunctionwith the above described navigation tools. Furthermore, the navigationtool can be a contact-sensitive surface. When the navigation tool is acontact-sensitive surface, it can be used either as supplementalnavigational tool or as the navigational tool for the handheldelectronic device. The trackball tool shown in FIGS. 1 and 7 has beenreplaced by a key 490 that can programmed as a special function key inFIGS. 8 and 9. The special function key can be user programmable or apredetermined function. While the function key 490 is illustrated, thisdisclosure contemplates retaining the trackball 321 of FIGS. 1 and 7instead.

Contact-sensitive surfaces have continually developed and theirinclusion on handheld devices has increased. These contact-sensitivesurfaces are enabled to detected touching through a variety of differentcontacts with the surface. In some cases the contact-sensitive surfacecan detect touch engagement from a stylus or other object designed forinputting data using the contact-sensitive surface. The stylus or otherobject often has a very defined point that can be used to makeselections of different visually presented graphical user interfaceitems on the display screen. The items presented visually thereon can beicons, buttons, text or other commonly presented items for userselection. The user generally interacts with these graphical userinterface items by tapping or touching the contact-sensitive surfaceswith the stylus or other object. The other object can be a user'sfinger. While not all surfaces respond to contact from a user's finger,some surfaces require such finger engagement where a conductivecontact-sensitive surface is used. In these conductive contact-sensitivesurfaces, the finger or other conductive object need not actuallycontact the surface, but instead just be placed in close proximity tothe contact-sensitive surface.

The contact-sensitive surfaces can be adapted to exhibit a variety ofdifferent surface clarities among which include opaque, translucent,transparent or semitransparent surfaces based on their composition.These different surface clarities enable the implementation of differentcontact-sensitive surfaces. Sometimes it is desirable to have an opaquesurface so that the surface includes the standard touch sensitivesurfaces that are used for input on laptop computers and the like wherea solid looking surface is need. This hides the other items such aselectrical inputs used beneath the contact-sensitive surface. Atranslucent surface can be implemented in situations where lighting ofthe surface is desired without the ability to see through the surface.For instance where the contact-sensitive surface is inscribed withcharacters or other indicia, the contact-sensitive surface can be atranslucent surface in order to light the characters or other indicia onthe surface. In other embodiments, a transparent or semi-transparentsurface can be used where it is desirable to reveal objects orgraphically presented information beneath the contact-sensitive surface.

An exemplary handheld electronic device 300, as illustrated in FIG. 8,includes but is not limited to a microprocessor housed within a body 371which includes a display area 402 and a contact-sensitive area 404. Thecontact-sensitive area 404 can be made from one of the above describedcontact-sensitive surfaces. The display area 402 can be made usingstandard display screen technology such as a liquid crystal displays(LCD). In at least one embodiment, the display area 402 andcontact-sensitive area 404 occupy substantially the same portion of thebody 371. In another embodiment, the contact-sensitive area 402 anddisplay area 404 are superimposed, one on the other at a front side ofthe handheld device, as illustrated in FIG. 10. In yet anotherembodiment, the contact-sensitive area 404 and display area 402 arelocated adjacent to one another at a front side 407 of the handhelddevice 300, as shown in at least FIG. 8.

A handheld electronic device 300 can be provided with acontact-sensitive area 404 to accommodate input operator commands. Theseoperator commands are generally in consideration of information which isvisually presented to the operator on a display area 402 such as adisplay screen. The contact-sensitive area detects contact engagementtherewith and produces instruction data based thereupon. Thiscontact-sensitive area 404 can be used to control the display ofinformation presented to the operator on the display area 402. Forinstance, when a home screen page is shown on the display area 402 ofthe handheld electronic device 300, the operator can select anapplication to run on the handheld device 300. When an application isrunning on the handheld device 300, the operator can further makeselections of information presented on the display area 402. Theinformation shown on the display area 402 can include buttons, icons,characters, text or other graphical display items.

In order to accommodate receiving operator commands from thecontact-sensitive area 404, a microprocessor-run software program, whichreceives instruction data from the contact sensitive area, is provided.The contact-sensitive area 404 detects a sweeping motion that originatesat a home zone area of the contact-sensitive area 404. The home zonearea is a predetermined portion of the contact-sensitive area 404. Thehome zone area can be a single location or a plurality of locations. Inthe example embodiment shown in FIG. 8, the home zone area 450 islocated substantially in the center of the contact-sensitive area 404.In another embodiment illustrated in FIG. 9, the home zone area 470 islocated a top-center portion location. Alternatively, the home zone area480 of the embodiment shown in FIG. 9 can be located at a bottom-centerportion location. Other locations of the home zone area are alsopossible can be contemplated by those skilled in the art. Furthermore,the contact-sensitive area 404 and corresponding software program can beenabled to include one or more of the above described home zonelocations.

The software program can be programmed to process the instruction dataand determine a sweeping contact motion detected on theconstact-senstive area originating at the home zone area. If a sweepingmotion is sensed on the contact-sensitive area 404 originating at a homezone area, the software program responsively launches an activity whenthe sweeping motion terminates at an activity launch zone area. Thetermination point is generally indicated by the arrow heads shown inFIGS. 8-10, which can overlap with the icons shown on the display screenas illustrated in FIG. 10. A plurality of activity launch zone areas areprovided in order to accommodate launching a variety of differentactivities. Some examples of activities considered within the scope ofthis disclosure include applications, menu functions, navigationfunctions, and selection functions. These functions and applicationsexamples of activities, but other activities that are associated withoperation are considered within the scope of this disclosure as well.The particular activity that is launched can be dependent upon which ofthe home zone areas 450, 470, 480 the sweeping contact motionoriginated. Likewise, the particular activity that is launched can be independence upon the termination of the sweeping contact motion.Furthermore, the particular activity can depend upon both theoriginating home zone area as well as the terminating activity launchzone area. Several examples are presented below to further illustratesuch dependence.

For example, consider the situation as illustrated in FIG. 8 where asweeping contact motion is sensed originating at a center home zone 450located approximately in a center portion of the contact-sensitive area404. For illustrative purposes a few exemplary paths that sweepingcontact could take are illustrated by the arrows in FIGS. 8-10. If thesweeping motion is detected that emanates from the center home zonelocation 450, then the software determines that an application launchcondition is present. The software can launch a particular applicationbased upon the termination of the sweeping motion. For instance, whenthe sweeping motion originates at the center home zone location and isdirected in an upwardly fashion, as indicated by arrow 452, theapplication indicated by icon 412 that is displayed on the screen at thetop center location is launched. In this case an address bookapplication is launched. Thus, in at least some embodiments, theapplication that launches in response to the sweeping contact motionoriginating at the home zone area is an application associated with agraphical display item positioned in a substantially parallel directionto the sweeping motion.

As shown in FIG. 8, an address book icon 412 is shown in the top centerportion of the display. When the sweeping motion originating at thecenter home zone 450 and moves upward along the path indicated by theupward arrow 452, the address book icon 412 that is located above thehome location 418 causes an address book application to launch. Thus,the operator can select applications from among those applicationsindicated with icons or other graphical display items on the displayarea 402. For example, an email icon 410, address book icon 412,calendar icon 414, application icon 416, phone icon 420, options icon422, keyboard lock icon 424, and camera icon 426 are shown on thedisplay area 402. These icons enable the user to select one of theapplications associated with each of the icons. In the case of theapplication icon 416, additional application icons will be displayedwhen this icon is selected.

In the center of the display area 402, a home location 418 providesinformation regarding the state of operation of the handheld device 300.For example, the home location 418 can display information regardingdate, time, wireless connectivity, battery life, signal strength,currently running program, and the like. Furthermore, the home location418 can provide information regarding the launching of an applicationwhich could be implemented through an arrow displayed in the homelocation 418 pointing to the application that the user is making asweeping contact motion. This indicator arrow can be dynamic such thatit indicates when the operator has successfully instructed the handheldto launch a specific activity.

An operator can select from one of the various icons and associatedprograms by making a sweeping motion originating at the center home zonelocation and moving in a direction substantially along one of theindicated arrows 452, 454, 456, 458, 460, 462, 464, or 466. When thesweeping contact motion is along an upward right diagonal directionindicated by arrow 454, a calendar icon 414 in the top right corner ofthe display is selected along with its application, which is a calendarapplication in FIG. 8. Similarly, when the sweeping contact motion isalong a right direction indicated by arrow 456, a telephone icon 420 inthe center right portion of the display is selected along with itsapplication, which is a phone application. Likewise, when the sweepingcontact motion is along a downwardly right direction indicated by arrow458, a camera icon 426 in the bottom right portion of the display isselected along with its application, which is a camera application.Furthermore, when the sweeping contact motion is along a downwardlydirection indicated by arrow 460, a keyboard lock icon 424 in the bottomright portion of the display is selected along with its application,which is a keyboard lock application. Likewise, when the sweepingcontact motion is along a downwardly left direction indicated by arrow462, an option icon 422 in the bottom left portion of the display isselected along with its application, which is an options application.Yet, when the sweeping contact motion is along a left directionindicated by arrow 464, an applications icon 416 in the center leftportion of the display is selected along with its application, which isan application subfolder. Likewise, when the sweeping contact motion isalong an upwardly left direction indicated by arrow 466, an email icon410 in the top left portion of the display is selected along with itsapplication, which is an email application.

While the arrangement of icons in FIG. 8 only displays eight icons foruser selection, it is possible to construct other arrangements with morethan eight or fewer than eight icons for user selection. If other iconsare presented, the home zone location can remain the same and additionalactivity launch locations can be provided corresponding to the locationsof the additional icons. Likewise, if there are fewer applications theactivity launch locations can be reduced as necessary. Furthermore, thepositioning of the icons could be arranged in a variety of orders but apreferred arrangement is shown.

In at least one embodiment, the display area 402 can be provided withadditional graphical information to assist the user in making theselection of the appropriate application associated with the icons shownon the display area 402. For example, indicator arrows that show thetrajectory of the sweeping contact motion on the contact-sensitive areacould be provided on the display area 402 or within the home location418 as described above.

An email program with a listing of emails 430 is shown in FIG. 9. Thisemail application can be launched in response to the operator selectingthe email icon 410 as illustrated in FIG. 8. The emails are listed onthe display area 402 which is located on a front side 407 of thehandheld electronic device 300. One email message 431 of the emaillisting is highlighted indicating that it is available for selection.The email message 431 can be selected for opening, transferring,storing, or the like as enabled by the email software applicationrunning on the microprocessor of the handheld electronic device.

In addition to selecting applications for execution by themicroprocessor, the sweeping contact motion can perform additional inputcommands. For example, the sweeping contact motion can cause the displayarea 402 to present a menu to the operator, perform an escape functionand perform a select function. Other functions or activities areconsidered within the scope of this disclosure as well. An exemplaryillustration of operator indication of functions is provided in FIG. 9.For example, if the operator would like to return to the home screen, anescape or back up command is desired. Using a sweeping motion similar tothose described above, the operator can touch a home zone locationcorresponding to the escape command and engage in a sweeping contactmotion that terminates at the appropriate activity launch zone thatcorresponds to the escape command. Operators of the device may benaturally inclined to perform motions that sweep to the left to executethis function, so in at least one embodiment the escape function isenabled by sweeping to the left from a home zone area. Since thesweeping motion to the left could launch a particular application incertain applications, the home zone area in at least one embodiment islocated in a different area than home zone location used for launchingparticular applications.

As shown in FIG. 9, two additional home zone areas 470, 480 can beprovided in addition to the home zone area 450 shown in FIG. 8. A tophome zone area 470 is located near the top center location of thecontact sensitive surface. A bottom home zone area 480 is located nearthe bottom center location of the contact-sensitive surface. When thesetwo additional home zone areas 470, 480 are provided the detection ofthe same direction of sweeping motion can be used with differentactivities being launched depending on which home zone area is used.Furthermore, it is possible to use a combination of home zone locationand activity launch zone to further specify which activity isimplemented. As illustrated when sweeping contact motion is detectedthat originates at the top home zone area 570 and moves in leftwarddirection substantially along arrow 474, a back or escape function isimplemented. Thus, when the operator causes the device to perform theescape function the email application shown on the display area 402 canbe replace by a previously selected application or the home screen forexample the display area could be transitioned back to the home screenof FIG. 8.

Additionally, select and menu functions/commands can be made using thesweeping contact motion on the contact-sensitive area 404. In at leastone embodiment, a sweeping motion originating at the bottom home zonearea 480 and moving to the right in a direction substantially indicatedby arrow 482 implements a menu function, where a menu is presented onthe display area 402. For example, the menu function when executed whilethe email 431 is highlight could present a menu to the operator listingfunctions that could be performed on the selected message. These menuoptions could include save, open, delete, forward, reply, reply all orother appropriate options as one skilled in the art would appreciate. Inat least one embodiment, a sweeping motion originating at the top homezone area 470 and moving to the right, for example along arrow 472,implements a select function, where a select function is performed. Thisselect function for instance could open up the email 431 indicated onthe display area 402. Alternatively, this select function can be used incases where operator selectable items are displayed on a menu,application, or the like.

While the menu, escape, and select functions have been described inrelation to a separate figure, these functions can be implementedsimultaneously with the application selection routines previouslydescribed. It is contemplated that function and selection routines couldbe implemented separately or in dependence upon a particular displayedapplication page. For instance the selection routines could be used onlyfor making selection of applications from home screen or sub-screensthereof. Once a given application is running and presented on thedisplay screen, the functions could be the only activities availableusing the sweeping motion.

The location of the contact-sensitive area can be in a variety ofdifferent locations. As shown in the figures, the contact-sensitive areais located beneath or in conjunction with the keyboard. Alternatively,the contact-sensitive area can be provided as part of the display screenor superimposed on the display area. Preferably, the contact-sensitivearea is provided on the front side of the handheld device. In at leastone embodiment, the contact-sensitive surface is provided adjacent tothe display area.

If the contact-sensitive area is provided in conjunction with akeyboard, the contact-sensitive area can be overlaid by the keyboard.The input keys of the keyboard can be depressibly actuatable such thatwhen the key is depressed it actuates a portion of the contact-sensitivearea. When the operator engages in the sweeping contact motion, the keysdepress and cause contact with the contact-sensitive area beneath thekeys. This sweeping motion is then passed to the microprocessor forfurther processing. While in another embodiment, the input keys arecontact actuatable such that touching the key is enough to actuate thekey. In this case the keys can be individually shaped but are part of asingle surface. Furthermore, the shape of each key can be designed toaccommodate the sweeping contact motion. For example the keys could bealigned to accommodate a diagonal input. Additionally, the surfaces ofthe keys could be smooth or provided with a slight texture in order tofacilitate both entry using the keys and the sweeping motion describedabove. Furthermore, the keys can be presented using a virtual keyboarddisplay. Thus, the keyboard could be provided on a portion of thedisplay area and a portion of the display area could be positioned aboveor below the contact sensitive area.

The keyboard as shown in FIG. 8 is the same as FIG. 1 which includes aplurality of input keys which can be associated with alphabetic,numeric, or command values. As shown in FIG. 1, the handheld wirelessdevice 300 can include a key field 650 that is located below the displayscreen at the front face 370 of the body 371 and the key field 650comprises a plurality of keys of which a portion are alphanumeric inputkeys. These alphanumeric input keys comprise alphabetic keys which haveletters arranged in one of the above described arrangements includingbut not limited to QWERTY, QWERTZ, AZERTY, and Dvorak arrangements.Furthermore, the arrangement can be of a full arrangement or reducedarrangement as described above, wherein the reduced arrangement has morethan one letter associated with at least one key. As shown in FIG. 7, afull QWERTY arrangement is provided on keyboard 332 along withadditional numeric, symbol and function keys. A reduced QWERTYarrangement is presented in FIG. 1. Additionally, a trackball navigationtool 321 is located between the display and the key field 650 in thetext entry orientation. In some embodiments, no navigation tool is usedbesides the contact-sensitive area. In those cases, thecontact-sensitive area provides for navigational control as well aslaunching the activities as described above. While the implementation ofthe contact-sensitive area has been described generally in relation tothe reduced keyboard layouts, it can be implemented with respect to thefull keyboard layout as illustrated by FIG. 7. Furthermore in someembodiments, the handheld device is provided without a separate keyboardand instead uses a touch or contact-sensitive screen for user input asillustrated in FIG. 10.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the handheld device 500 has a display screen322 which provides for both the display area and contact-sensitive area.Here like the above described embodiments, an activity is launched whena sweeping contact motion originating at a home zone area andterminating at one of the activity launch zones is detected. Asillustrated when the operator makes contact with the home zone location530 which corresponds to the home location 510 and makes a sweepingmotion as indicated by arrow 531 towards address book icon 511, anaddress book application is launched. Similarly operator sweepingcontact along arrows 532 to 538 launch applications associated withicons 512 to 518, respectively. While not illustrated, the handhelddevice 500 as illustrated in FIG. 10 could also be configured forinputting of the activities as described in relation to FIG. 9. Whilethese examples of activities have been provided, additional activitiescould also be provided without departing from this disclosure.

Additionally as illustrated in FIG. 11, an examplary method 700 forselectively launching an activity on a handheld electronic device isdisclosed. The method can receive an operator contact at a home zonelocation (block 702). Further the method detects that a sweeping contactmotion across a contact-sensitive area originating at the home zone area(block 704). Additionally, the method can detect a termination of thesweeping contact motion at an activity launch zone area (block 706).Then, the method launches an activity corresponding to the activitylaunch zone area at which the sweeping contact motion terminated (block708).

While in at least one embodiment, the method further includes launchingan activity on a handheld electronic device which is launched dependingupon which of the plurality of home zone areas, the determined sweepingcontact motion originated. In at least one embodiment, the method opensan application in response to a detected sweeping contact motionoriginating at the center home zone area. The method can also includeone or more of the following detected sweeping contact motions thatlaunch an activity. In one example, the method invokes a select functionthat is activated by the detection of a sweeping motion originating at atop home zone area and moving rightward. In another example, the methodinvokes a menu function that is activated by the detection of a sweepingmotion originating at a bottom home zone area and moving rightward. Instill another example, the method invokes an escape function that isactivated by the detection of a sweeping motion originating at a bottomhome zone area and moving leftward. While in other embodiments, themethod can be dependent upon only one of the home zone location oractivity launch area selected by the sweeping contact motion.

Examplary embodiments have been described hereinabove regarding bothhandheld wireless communication devices 300, as well as thecommunication networks 319 within which they operate. Again, it shouldbe appreciated that the focus of the present disclosure launching anactivity when a detected sweeping contact motion is sensed on a contactsensitive area originating at a home zone area and terminating at one ofthe activity launch zone areas.

What is claimed is:
 1. A handheld electronic device comprising: amicroprocessor housed within a body of the device that includes adisplay area on which information is displayed and a contact-sensitivearea that detects contact engagement therewith and produces instructiondata based thereupon; a microprocessor-run software program programmedto receive instruction data from said contact-sensitive area; saidcontact-sensitive area having a home zone area and a plurality ofactivity launch zone areas; displaying on a display area a correspondinghome zone area and a plurality of activity launch zone areas; saidsoftware program programmed to process said instruction data anddetermine sweeping contact motion detected on said contact-sensitivearea originating at the home zone area and terminating at one of theplurality of activity launch zone areas and to responsively launch anapplication corresponding to the activity launch zone area at which thesweeping contact motion terminated; in response to the launchedapplication, said contact-sensitive area having at least two additionalhome zone areas and a plurality of activity launch zone areas with eachactivity launch zone area having an associated function corresponding tothe launched application: software program programmed to process saidinstruction data and determine sweeping contact motion detected on saidcontact-sensitive area originating at one of the additional home zoneareas and terminating at one of the plurality of activity launch zoneareas and to responsively execute a the function corresponding to thelaunched application and activity launch zone area at which the sweepingcontact motioned terminated.
 2. The handheld electronic device asrecited in claim 1, wherein said contact-sensitive area comprises aplurality of home zone areas and said software program is furtherprogrammed to launch a particular application in dependence upon whichof said plurality of home zone areas the determined sweeping contactmotion originated.
 3. The handheld electronic device as recited in claim2, wherein one of said plurality of home zone areas is a center homezone located approximately in a center portion of the contact sensitivearea.
 4. The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 3, whereinsaid software program launches the application in response to determinedsweeping contact motion originating at said center home zone area. 5.The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 4, wherein saidapplication that launches in response to the determined sweeping contactmotion originating at the center home zone area is the applicationpositioned in a direction substantially parallel to the determinedsweeping contact motion from a center portion of the display area. 6.The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein saiddetermined sweeping motion originating at a top home zone area andmoving to the right is a select function.
 7. The handheld electronicdevice as recited in claim 2, wherein one of said plurality of home zoneareas is a bottom home zone area located substantially in abottom-center portion of the contact sensitive area.
 8. The handheldelectronic device as recited in claim 7, wherein determined sweepingmotion originating at the bottom home zone area and moving to the rightlaunches a menu function.
 9. The handheld electronic device as recitedin claim 1, wherein said contact-sensitive area and said display areaare superimposed, one on the other at a front side of said device. 10.The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 1, wherein saidcontact-sensitive area and said display area are located adjacent to oneanother at a front side of said device.
 11. The handheld electronicdevice as recited in claim 1, wherein said contact-sensitive area isoverlaid by a keyboard comprising a plurality of input keys.
 12. Thehandheld electronic device as recited in claim 11, wherein said inputkeys are depressibly actuatable.
 13. The handheld electronic device asrecited in claim 11, wherein said input keys are contact actuatable. 14.The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 13, wherein saidinput keys are finger actuatable.
 15. The handheld electronic device asrecited in claim 11, wherein said contact-sensitive area registerssweeping contact on said keyboard.
 16. The handheld electronic device asrecited in claim 11, wherein said keyboard is a virtual keyboard. 17.The handheld electronic device as recited in claim 16, wherein a portionof said plurality of input keys are alphabetic input keys, havingalphabetic indicia associated therewith, and a majority of saidalphabetic input keys have more than one alphabetic letter associatedtherewith.
 18. A method for selectively launching an activity on ahandheld electronic device, said method comprising: detecting a sweepingcontact motion across a contact-sensitive surface originating at a homezone area and terminating at an activity launch zone area; launching anapplication corresponding to the activity launch zone area at which thedetected sweeping contact motion terminates; displaying, on a displayarea a corresponding home zone area and a plurality of activity launchzone areas in response to the launched application, detecting a sweepingcontact motion detected on said contact-sensitive area originating atone of a plurality of additional home zone areas and terminating at oneof the plurality of activity launch zone areas, with each activitylaunch zone area having an associated function corresponding to thelaunched application; and executing the function corresponding to thelaunched application and the activity launch zone area at which thesweeping contact motioned terminated.
 19. The method as recited in claim18, further comprising opening the application in response to detectedsweeping contact motion originating at a center home zone area.
 20. Themethod as recited in claim 18, further comprising invoking a selectfunction that is activated by the detection of a sweeping motionoriginating at one of the additional home zone areas and movingrightward.
 21. The method recited in claim 18, further comprisinginvoking a menu function that is activated by the detection of asweeping motion originating at a bottom home zone area and movingrightward.
 22. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprisinginvoking an escape function that is activated by the detection of asweeping motion originating at a bottom home zone area and movingleftward.
 23. The method as recited in claim 18, further comprisinginvoking an escape function that is activated by the detection of asweeping motion originating at a top home zone area and moving leftward.